A Second Saturn Return Happens In Your Sixties—And It's Just As Life-Changing
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
You've heard of Mercury retrograde (and dreaded every second of it), but your Saturn return? That's another story. Even if you check your horoscope daily, know your Moon, Venus, and Mercury signs by heart, and celebrate every zodiac season like it's your birthday, this planetary event has probably still flown under your radar.
But even if your Saturn return is a new concept to you, you might have had some *inkling* of the cosmic disarray it has on your life if you’re over 30 or slowly approaching it. That’s because Saturn takes roughly 29 years to move through all 12 zodiac signs, meaning your Saturn return happens about three times throughout your life: first when you’re 27 or 30 (depending on what zodiac sign your Saturn is in), second, around age 60, and one last time in your 90s.
Your Saturn returns are major milestones and often challenging periods in your life. So, if you’re under 30, get ready. And if you’re over 30, well… after you’ve learned more about this phenomenon, everything that happened in your late 20s and early 30s will make a lot more sense. But before you freak out, your Saturn return isn’t necessarily cause for panic—don’t let this get in the way of your “thirty, flirty, and thriving” era—but it’s worth noting how it’ll impact you.
Meet the experts:
Linda Joyce is a professional astrologer and author of The Star Within. Jessica Lanyadoo is a humanistic astrologer and author of Astrology for Real Relationships: Understanding You, Me, and How We All Get Along. Lauren Ash is an astrologer with Horoscope.com and Sanctuary Astrology.
Okay, so what exactly is a Saturn return?
Quick astro lesson: A "return" is when a planet returns to the exact position it was in the sky when you were born, and every planet has one, explains Linda Joyce, professional astrologer and author of The Star Within. "Returns mark the closing of one cycle and the beginning of another," she says. They usually happen two or three times in your life, starting around your thirties.
Saturn is the planet of responsibility, karma, and maturity, and in your chart, it discerns how you persevere in the face of challenges. That said, your Saturn return is when the planet Saturn returns to the exact degree of the same sign it was in when you were born. This is a monumental shift, and the effects of your Saturn return can be felt for upwards of two to three years. So that might explain why you feel like your entire life is about to change the second you blow out those candles on your 30th birthday.
Another reason your Saturn return is especially tense? Because it marks a three-year period when the planet of discipline applies pressure to face your fears and shortcomings, according to Lauren Ash, an astrologer with Horoscope.com and Sanctuary Astrology. “Everything is doubled because transiting Saturn is applying the same pressure you put on yourself,” explains Ash. “It feels like nobody is on your side—not even you.”
You can think of your Saturn return as another stage of puberty where you’re shedding parts of your youth as you advance into a new generation. Naturally, that comes with its unique set of growing pains—like realizing you have to leave behind a relationship you’ve outgrown or search for a more fulfilling job.
Whenever Saturn returns, it’s a time for pause and self-reflection. It’s all about reevaluating your goals and values from a pragmatic POV. Sure, you could dream as big as you want, but “Saturn is the truth—the bare truth—but it’s something you can count on,” Joyce says. "It won’t lie to you to make you feel better, but it will guide and help you learn your lesson if you’re willing to do the work."
When does a Saturn return actually start, and how long does it last?
For the exact approximation of when your Saturn return will go into effect, you can use a Saturn return calculator. But you feel each Saturn return at least two years before it happens, according to Joyce—so if you were planning to live it up the last few years of your twenties, sorry, but think again.
Think about it this way: Your twenties are a time of self-exploration. It’s when you learn about what you like, what makes sense, and what doesn’t. When your Saturn return comes along, you’re piecing together all that you’ve taken away from your twenties and become more in step with who you really are. Maybe you're comfortable, but not exactly happy, in your relationship. Now's the time to be real with yourself—and your partner—so you can both start looking for something better.
Then, “closer to 60 is the second Saturn return, and it is equally as important,” Lanyadoo explains. “This is where we have the closure of our adult cycle and we step into our senior cycle. Our priorities change… we’re meant to have built so much of what we want and from there, we’re meant to build our internal life in a whole new way.”
And if you’re lucky enough to make it to your third and final Saturn return? In some ways, you're preparing for a final stage of life. Lanyadoo views this transit as a confrontation with our individual mortality. Like all Saturn returns, it can be “quite an existential journey,” she says—a true confrontation with the human condition.
How does your natal chart impact your Saturn return?
Not to add another layer of confusion, but it should be noted that each person’s Saturn return is going to be entirely unique, and largely dependent on their natal chart—specifically, their Saturn sign. “Your Saturn return marks the time in your life that transiting Saturn moves back into the same sign it was when you were born,” says Ash. How your Saturn return will impact you isn’t cut-and-dry, so looking at the full scope of your chart can give you a better idea of what to expect.
"When we are going through transits to our birth chart, there's an element of that domino effect," Lanyadoo says. “Whatever Saturn is doing in your birth chart, it starts this pattern where it lights up your [entire] chart, for better or for worse.” For this reason, Ash says the themes that will be felt during your Saturn return can be found by looking at your Saturn placement.
Saturn in Aries: A quick astro lesson: Saturn is in its fall in Aries, meaning it’s in a sign that heightens the planet's shortcomings. “Saturn in Aries causes people to feel easily overwhelmed by their dreams,” says Ash. Aries is known to start strong but can struggle with keeping the momentum, so people with Saturn in Aries “may start and abandon projects regularly during this time, Ash continues. One lesson they should try to learn during their Saturn return? “It’s essential to learn how to see things through,” says Ash.
Saturn in Taurus: As an earth sign, Taurus is naturally practical. So people with Saturn in Taurus might be fairly rigid, Ash explains. “These people will overwork themselves or push themselves too far physically often,” she says. “It’s essential to learn how to balance life’s responsibilities and pleasures equally.” Taurus is associated with security and value, which explains why Saturn in Taurus can feel easily threatened when they aren’t in their comfort zone.
Saturn in Gemini: Gemini is a mercurial and social sign, so “Saturn in Gemini is common in people who feel restricted in their social skills or communication,” says Ash. “They learned early on that saying the wrong things came with harsh consequences, and as a result, they keep their opinions to themselves.” Those with Saturn in Gemini should learn how to challenge self-doubt when it comes to expressing themselves boldly, Ash notes.
Saturn in Cancer: When Saturn is in a nurturing and sensitive sign like Cancer, challenges can target their family and home life, according to Ash. “[Saturn in Cancer] can make them feel disconnected from their nurturing side and cause emotional pain,” she explains. “This is often due to a difficult childhood or being expected to be the emotional support for their family at a young age.” Because of this, someone with Saturn in Cancer could be emotionally aloof and avoid opening up to others as they’re going through their Saturn return.
Saturn in Leo: Leo is typically the life of the party, but when Saturn is stationed in this fire sign, it’s a totally different story. “Saturn in Leo causes issues of confidence and creativity within a person, often leading to frustrations of self-expression,” says Ash. They tend to have been knocked down for their grandiosity, and this takes a hit to their ego, causing major insecurity. “These people may have been shamed early in life for being ‘too much’ and, as a result, feel like they need to hide their inner shine,” explains Ash. That said, Saturn in Leo people should embrace their light, or as Ash puts it, “not avoid the spotlight and instead step into the gifts and talents the stars blessed them with.”
Saturn in Virgo: Saturn in Virgo is unlike the type-A, put-together person typically associated with Virgo Suns. “Saturn in Virgo is a hallmark of people with chaotic and disorganized lifestyles,” explains Ash. Virgos are natural altruists, so when Saturn is stationed in this sign, they tend to be self-sacrificial people-pleasers—often at the cost of themselves. “These people need to invest in their own needs and acknowledge when they need help to avoid burning out in the future,” Ash says.
Saturn in Libra: Since Saturn is exalted—or strengthened—in Libra, these individuals are better equipped to handle the challenges that come their way. “People with this placement know how to lean into the leadership of Saturn, often transforming themselves into whatever the situation needs them to be in the moment,” says Ash. They can balance the lessons they’re learning without becoming bitter in the process. “When experiencing a Saturn return, they must learn to accept being disliked and assert themselves in ways that may not be pleasing to others,” she adds.
Saturn in Scorpio: An intense and emotional sign like Scorpio has a natural hesitation when it comes to opening up. So naturally, Saturn in Scorpio may cloud someone’s intuitive judgment and cause a rift in their emotions. “Scorpio is a zodiac sign that delves deep beneath the surface, and Saturn's influence in this placement may result in the tendency to escape from the harsh reality,” says Ash. In order to thrive during their Saturn return, those with Saturn in Scorpio should avoid retreating into a fantasy world, says Ash, and instead, “face the reality of what's happening around you.”
Saturn in Sagittarius: When Saturn is in Sagittarius in someone’s natal chart, it can be especially difficult for them to commit to things, even when it’s necessary. Settling down already isn’t a strength of a Sagittarius, per Ash, so “they move from place to place, experiencing different things as they wait for fate to guide them somewhere new.” Despite the fact that a life of novelty and adventure sounds exciting, pursuing this “can also leave them feeling lost and lonely later on,” says Ash. The remedy for a Sagittarius Saturn person would be to defy the fear of commitment by pouring themselves into their relationships and goals, says Ash.
Saturn in Capricorn: Since Saturn is Capricorn’s ruling planet, Saturnian challenges come a lot easier for people with Saturn in Capricorn. “These people often feel the weight and burden of responsibility early in their lives,” so their naiveté related to their age contradicts their ambitions of success, explains Ash. Think of this placement as a Benjamin Button type of energy, because “it’s said that people with Saturn in Capricorn age backward,” says Ash. This can result in working more than playing, so people with this placement should try to prioritize play. “People with this placement aim to be patient and keep working hard for their rewards!”
Saturn in Aquarius: In traditional astrology, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn—and because of that, Saturn in Aquarius is a total power position. “People born under this planetary alignment are known for being innovators and outsiders who often feel constrained by society's limitations,” she says. “It's important to embrace everyone's uniqueness and use it for the greater good.” To cut through limitations of life, Ash says they have to do what they do best: learn the rules of the game, so they can break them.
Saturn in Pisces: Those with a Saturn in Pisces can find it difficult to maintain structure since they’re full of big dreams and pay no mind to boundaries. “These people demand focus and sacrifice to see success. So, in a way, people with this placement spend most of their time trying to outrun their fate,” says Ash. Meaning, trying to escape limitations. The best way a Saturn in Pisces person can find balance is by being present and putting their focus on sustainable goals that will go the distance.
What should you expect from your Saturn return?
When you’re approaching your thirties, the time to accomplish all that you set out to do can feel like it’s running out. That makes sense, too, since society has conditioned you to think that you need to finish school, find a forever job, and get married, all during a time when—let’s be honest—you’re still in a child-like place in your life. That’s why, by the time your Saturn return arrives, you might spiral into a mini-identity crisis that comes with entering a new generation. “The [first] Saturn return marks the opening of adulthood, which means that your twenties is the adult phase of your childhood and the thirties are the youth of your adulthood,” Lanyadoo explains.
Since Saturn is associated with everything related to maturity, structure, and limitations, Ash says anywhere Saturn touches in your birth chart—like which signs it’s aspecting, or the house it sits in—will feel the weight of responsibility. Say, for example, your Saturn is in Pisces, the imaginative sign that has a track record of falling in love with strangers. Your Saturn return could target your tendency to romanticize people in an especially harsh way.
“In the two years leading up to the Saturn return, you start to feel a sense of panic,” Lanyadoo continues. “Friendships and community relationships start to fall apart, especially if you have built up community and relationships as a reaction to who you were as a teenager, your family’s origin, or childhood in general.” While the changes can seem jarring and abrupt, purging certain aspects of your life is what makes room for better—even if it doesn’t seem that way at first.
According to Joyce, Saturn is the teacher that wants you to pass their class... but only if you've done all your homework and aced your final. If you don’t, you fail. "You don’t get praise for what you’ve done right," Joyce adds. "Saturn's mission is to point out what’s not working and why."
If you do listen to your Saturn return, however, "a new awareness gradually seeps into your consciousness until you have an 'aha' moment," Joyce says. Basically, you'll have a moment of clarity in which you'll realize, "If I want to be successful, I have to commit to accomplishing X, Y, Z."
How should you deal with a Saturn return?
You know how a party can go from being super fun to super awkward if you stay there too long? Suddenly, everyone's gone, and you're stuck in a weirdly deep convo with the host and another rando who couldn't take the hint. Well, your twenties are *that* party, and now it’s time to GTFO. "What’s not working in your life becomes very obvious," Joyce notes. For instance, if you're a commitment-phobe or your FOMO convinces you to stay out late on a Tuesday night, then that could begin to get in the way of scoring that raise or landing the job you want.
To make sure that doesn't happen, Joyce urges you to tune in during this time. "Saturn slows everything down because you need to see what has to be fixed," she explains. "If you don’t pay attention, you’ll face a crisis."
"Life becomes a series of lessons to learn," she explains. "If you’ve been learning them all along the way, then your Saturn return is a piece of cake… but if you’ve been avoiding responsibility and life itself, then your Saturn return can be painful."
Luckily, no matter how difficult it may be to take a brutally honest look at your life, you have the chance—at this astrological point—to turn things around. You might not get that opportunity again, so roll up those metaphorical sleeves and take your Saturn return seriously. "Yes, it may take work, struggle, or sacrifice. After all, success requires you to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and that’s what Saturn does," says Joyce.
Exactly which comfort zone that is depends on you. Your Saturn return can manifest itself in a ton of different ways, from a demanding task you must accomplish to a person who enlightens you. However the ringed planet shows up in your life, you'll leave the experience wiser and more capable of achieving whatever it is your soul desires.
So... bring it on, Saturn.
You Might Also Like
